


Lifestyle Furniture

by InkandOwl



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Big Kid Decisions, Domesticity, Light Smut, M/M, Meeting the Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-02-20
Packaged: 2019-10-31 23:01:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17858672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkandOwl/pseuds/InkandOwl
Summary: Nico asks Levi to move in with him.It makes sense, they've been together six months after all, and Levi's there most nights anyway.Levi just has to tell his parents about Nico is all





	Lifestyle Furniture

**Author's Note:**

  * For [likeelliottsmithsings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/likeelliottsmithsings/gifts).



“You should move in.” Nico says it while he’s getting dressed— something that is sexy and distracting in theory, but they’re both on the way out the door for work, so it just means he’s wearing the frumpiest outfit possible to have something comfortable to change in after his shift. 

Levi has his foot halfway into his shoe and he looks up, “What?”

Maybe Nico is a little nervous. Maybe Levi’s stupid answer is building up an anxiety in his chest. 

If it is, he doesn’t show it. 

“I’m just saying, you’re here all the time, you have a toothbrush in the bathroom—” Nico reaches up to tap the hooks screwed into the wall near the door, “You put this nifty little coatrack in, it’s so helpful.” 

Levi eyes the scarf hanging up there and considers wrapping it around his neck— just keeping the motion going. Maybe cut off his windpipe until he passes out so that he doesn’t have to make a Big Life Decision. The thing is— Levi _wants_ to move in with Nico. He wants to wake up every single morning in their shared bed and shove his freezing toes into Nico’s shins, or being him a cup of coffee with his own. Levi wants all of these things until he’s 87 years old and can’t remember his own name. 

The problem is— “I have to tell my family about you.” 

Nico rolls his eyes, “Six months later, huh?” This had been their first big fight. The first thing that had caused them to yell and fail to communicate and have Levi crying into a beer at Taryn’s apartment. Levi opens his mouth to remind him, “It’s not a gay thing, I got it.” Nico finishes the thought for him. 

“You seem really upset.” Levi has to jog a little to keep up with him as they head out to the car, hands twisting with the hem of his shirt. 

Nico leans against the roof, “ _Really_ upset is a little dramatic, but I’m definitely annoyed that this is still a thing. I think I’m allowed to be.” 

Levi tries to mirror his stance on the passenger side and has to tilt his chin up a little, “Of course you are, but I just want you to understand that I’m going to throw up.” 

The locks click and Nico wrenches his door open, getting in before Levi can muster up something that looks like puppy dog eyes at him, “Then throw up, Levi.” He leans against the center console to stare him down while Levi gets in, “Are you being honest with me? Are they actually homophobic and you’re not telling me?” 

His tone gets a little softer then and Levi sighs, “No, they’re not like that.” 

“You can tell me if they are, I’ll understand where all this stress is coming from if you do. I wouldn’t abandon you over something like that, I wouldn’t be pressuring you so much—”

“They’re not homophobic.” Levi shakes his head and slumps down in his seat, “If— _when_ — I tell them about you they’re going to be a lot. It’s fine though, I’m gonna do it.” 

Levi puts on his best determination face and Nico takes his hand, kissing the back of his knuckles. 

#

“Oh, Schmitt, are you having a stroke?” Jo doesn’t take the spoon out of her mouth when she asks, just places her yogurt down on the table next to him and takes a seat. 

Levi stops rubbing his face against the inside of his arm and opens an eye to look at her, “What did you do when you had to introduce Alex to your family?”

Jo closes her eyes for a moment and sniffs out a laugh, “See, it’s really fun for me when people have all these awful meet the parents revelations, because I didn’t have to deal with them.” It might be condescending, but it might also be the way that Jo talks on the regular. “I do think it’s way past time you introduced Nico to the fam though.” 

Levi buries his face in his hands and groans loudly, “That’s part of the problem though. I should’ve introduced them to him after a month, or maybe even a month and a half if I was feeling standoffish— but I still didn’t know if he was pranking me, you know?” 

“Awfully elaborate prank.” Jo lifts her eyebrows when she digs back into her yogurt. 

“It’s not unfounded and you know it.” Levi’s feeling bold when he meets her eyes and Jo has the decency to tuck her lips between her teeth before a moment before mouthing ‘sorry’. “It’s fine,” Levi sighs, “All I’m saying is that I didn’t know if I was allowed to tell anyone earlier in the relationship, and now that I know I can, it’s been way to long.” 

There’s a group of nurses arguing loudly about politics at the table next to them, and Levi ponders that this seems simpler than what he’s dealing with. Jo puts her hand delicately on top of Levi’s and it snaps him out of his haze, “There was definitely a window of time there that would’ve been more opportune.” Levi nods at the table and Jo tucks back into her yogurt, “I’m rooting for you.” 

#

Levi’s got a cramp in his thigh, but he hasn’t gotten laid in over two weeks and thrilled that they’re doing this in their bed and not in an on call room. He attempts to pull a sexy move to get Nico to move his hip off of his leg, but ends up patting Nico’s ribs instead, “Hey, can you— stop for a second.” 

Nico gets a very concerned look on his face, because he’s just so loving at all times, and he pulls out of Levi gently, “Are you okay?” He pushes some of Levi’s hair off his face and Levi catches his wrist. 

“I’m good—really good, I just wanted to switch positions.” He pushes at Nico’s shoulders until he rolls over and lays back on the bed. “I was thinking about what you asked me.” Levi straddles Nico’s waist and sinks back down onto him with a pleased sigh. 

Nico presses his eyes shut, gripping Levi’s hips when he rocks back on him, “Which was? God, Levi—”

Levi considers thanking him for a moment, then decides against it, “Asking me to move in— I wanna move in.” 

Nico runs his hands up Levi’s back, his fingers tracing the notches of his spine and pulls him down into a kiss, which turns into them breathing heavily against each other’s mouths, “I love you.” 

The words always curl up, warm and content in Levi’s chest no matter how many times he says it, and he closes his eyes and he hums against Nico’s lips, “I want you to meet my parents, I scheduled dinner with them next weekend.” 

Nico stills Levi’s hips in his lap, “Really?” 

He’s worried now. It probably isn’t the best time to be talking about his parents, while Nico is _inside_ of him, and there’s always a chance that he’s rescinded the offer since Levi took so long to answer. “Is that okay?” Levi pulls his knees together, which is a sort of ridiculous act of modesty right now—

“Yeah—” Nico puts his hand to his forehead, “Yeah, Levi, of course.” And then he laughs and pulls Levi down into more kisses, “I can’t wait to do this every night.” 

Like he’s suggesting they’re having sleepovers on school nights. Levi props himself up on Nico’s chest, “Same. Let’s talk about it more later, I just want to make you come right now.” He says it very matter of factly and Nico drops his arms open. 

“By all means, don’t let me stop you.” 

#

Link rolls the candle between his hands before shoving it into Levi’s face, “Does this actually smell good or am I just excited to be smelling something that isn’t a sterilized hospital room?” 

It’s a little strong, “No, it smells nice. A bit overwhelming.” 

Levi doesn’t know a lot about candles, he’s never been a big fan of them because the ones his grandma always kept on around the house tended to sell like soap. There’s some psychological damage there. Nico had insisted on getting a gift for Levi’s parents though and dragged them along for a shopping excursion after work. 

The store itself is a little boutique in downtown Seattle and the only perk to this place is that it’s next to a book store that sells backlog comics, and Levi is considering abandoning Nico and Link to find a replacement to his Lex Luther graphic novel. Link gets tired of Levi’s non reactions to everything he shoves in his face, and he goes trotting after Nico, wielding a handmade backscratcher instead. 

Just when Levi thinks there’s no way Nico hasn’t looked at everything in here, and no way Link hasn’t touched it, the bell chimes above the door and Levi walks directly into this own mother. Followed by his father. 

“Oh!” Is the only thing his mom says, as if her son is a favorite celebrity and not actually— her son. 

It’s his dad who offers up a tired grin and says, “Hey, kiddo, long time no see.” 

That’s what sets his mom off, her arms wrapping around his neck as she kisses his cheek and says, “Levi, it’s been _days_ , I was about to call the hospital and see if you had become a patient there.” 

Levi feels bad at that, even though it wasn’t her intention, “Sorry, mom, I’ve been— working.” 

Link seems to formulate from around a greeting card rack rather than walk and his eyebrows shoot up into his hairline, “Oh, are you the Schmitt’s?” 

Now they’re all celebrities. Levi closes his eyes slowly and hopes that the clerk of the store just decides to turn up the Hall and Oates to drown out whatever anyone else is going to say from now on. No such luck. Link uses one hand to proffer it to Levi’s parents and the other to seek out Nico from where he’s looking through necklaces shaped like fortune cookies, “I’m Atticus Lincoln, I work with your son.” 

He makes a point to really say that last part loudly and Nico looks from Link to Levi to his parents and back to Levi. His eyes go wide and he does something that Levi has never seen him do before. 

He gets nervous. 

“Hi, I’m Dr. Kim— I mean Nico. I’m Nico.” 

There’s an exchange of handshakes, and Levi’s dad sort of squints at Nico— taking in the too long handshake and the way he keeps looking back at Levi. Mrs. Schmitt doesn’t notice at all because she touches Link’s bicep and then Nico’s and very seriously asks Levi, “Do all the doctor’s in your hospital look like this?” 

She’s a tiny woman, but her presence is massive and Link laughs when Levi sighs and tells her, “Uh, sort of.” 

“So— where have you been staying?” Mr. Schmitt cuts right to the chase, eyes locked on his son in a way that suggests he’s not accepting anything short of the truth. 

Levi considers faking a heart attack. He has a plan to tell them all of this over wine and a nice dinner, where Nico has his hair combed all fancy in that way that makes it impossible to say no to him. “I’ve been, uh, I—” He swallows hard and everyone is watching act like a weird idiot now, “I’ve been staying at Nico’s he lives right next to the hospital.” 

Nico doesn’t actually seem like he wants to argue with it, aware that this isn’t the ideal sort of situation for this conversation. They’re in a spaghetti western right now, Levi’s convinced of it. The world’s most ridiculous stand off, where his own mother is completely oblivious when she happily grips Nico’s hand and says, “You’re a good friend.” 

“He’s not his friend, Charlotte.” Levi’s dad exhales, mouth twitching in a grin, “He’s his boyfriend.” 

Link actually leans forward then, fully wanting to put himself into the center of this conversation and Levi has never felt the urge to hit him so much. “Levi, he’s— what?” His mom looks at him then, “Is that true?” 

There’s no point in lying, the nuclear blast might as well happen in this store. He looks at Nico, who’s obviously waiting on him for the answer. Levi scrubs his hand over his face, “Yeah, Nico is my boyfriend. I wanted to tell you at dinner this weekend—”

“How long?” Charlotte Schmitt walks right into Levi’s space and grips his face between her hands. 

“Six months. And some change.” 

The shriek that she lets out is so ungodly loud, that Link looks like he’s actually going to take cover, and Nico seizes up beside him, “Six months! Levi Aaron Schmitt, you’ve been in a relationship for six months and we’re just now hearing about— Tom, do you believe this?— and a _man_.” 

She walks over to Nico and runs her hands up his arms, almost starting over his chest and Levi steps in, “Mom, don’t molest him.” 

Nico’s visibly relaxed now though, and he lets Mrs. Schmitt take one of his hands while she uses her other to gently touch Levi’s face, “Honey, why didn’t you tell us sooner? Did you think we would be upset?” 

The kindness to the way she asks— like it’s breaking her heart to think her son was afraid of judgement from them, makes Levi’s eyes burn with the threat of tears and he shakes his head. “I didn’t know what to do. I’m not used to this.” 

“Not used to what?” She rubs his shoulder and Levi is grateful for the way Nico grabs his hand and squeezes his fingers. 

“To being in love. Everything feels like a lot— in a good way.” Levi half buries his face into Nico’s side, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.” 

His dad shoves his hands in his pockets and nods sagely, “ ‘m happy for you, Levi.” 

That’s a lot of emotion coming from his father and Levi grins at him. It feels nice, having this bandaid ripped off and then his mom gestures to Link and asks, “Is this your _other_ boyfriend?”

Levi flinches, “Oh my god, mom, no.”


End file.
